Brake



R. H. BEYEl April 20, 1937.

BRAKE Filed Oct. 16, 1950 IN VEN TOR. fiqr/vaA/a h, 55 54 BY v , A TTOR Patented Apr. 20, 1937 Raymond 1H. Beyer, South Bend, IndL, assignor to Bendix Brake Company, South Bend, End a corporation of Illinois Application October 16, 1930, Serial No. 489,025

13 Claims.

This invention relates to brakes, and is illustrated as embodied in improved braking means for the landing wheel of an airplane. Anobject of the invention is to provide an effective brake which can readily be housed inside of the wheel,

advantageous in making repairs in the field. A felt washer 35 encircling a bushing 36 mounted on the axle is arranged opposite bearing 30 and, with hub l2, defines an annular chamber 38 which may be packed with grease or other lubricant as a stop 94 threaded into the end of the bore for example inside of the wheel hub, and espethrough a fitting 40 threaded into hub l2. cially a brake adapted for use with a wheel of The outer end of the hub has a corresponding the type in which the pneumatic tire is mounted seat for a roller bearing A? which, with a lubridirectly on the wheel hub, so that a tire of maxicant retainer or felt washer 44, is mounted on a mum air content with a minimum parisitic reflanged carrier 46 threaded on the axle near its 10 sistance may be used. end. The wheel and the two bearings are all Preferably the brake friction means,which may locked on the axle by means such as a castelbe externally conical, is shiftable axially, and lated nut 48 threaded on the end of the axle meansoperated by the axial shifting is arranged and held by a transverse key 50 seated in a to expand the friction means, for example against groove across the end of the axle. The key in 15 a drum member (which may be conical also) turn is held by a cap 52 threaded on the extreme preferably provided inside of the wheel hub. In end of the axle and having a gasket 54 sealing the illustrated arrangement there are two pivthe end of the axle, which is hollow, to prevent otally-connected externally-conical shoes pivoted any lubricant from getting into the brake.

on a shiftable carrier in a novel manner such that An end or hubv cap 56 threaded into the end of 20 they wrap against the drum with a self-enerthe hub may have an end plate 58 giving a flush gizlng action to give a powerful braking action. or streamline eifect to the end of the hub. The

Various features of novelty relate to novel interior 60 of the hub cap may be packed with brake-operating means arranged within the axle, grease for the bearing 42. .5.

to improvements in the structure and mounting Inside of the hub, between bearings and 42 25 of the wheel, and to various other desirable but sealed from them by felt washers or gaskets constructions and arrangements which will be 32 and 44 to prevent the access of lubricant, is apparent from the following description of the pressed a conical steel liner or brake drum memillustrative brake shown in the accompanying ber 62, secured by suitable means such as screws 30 drawing, in which: or the like 64. o 30 Figure l is a section diametrically through the The drum is engaged, to apply the brake, by wheel, axle, and brake; and friction-faced externally-conical shoes 66 and 68 Figure 2 is a cross-section on the line 22 of connected by a floating pivot Hi and mounted by Figure 1, with the tire removed. 1 an anchor pivot 12 en an axially-movable carrier I The construction illustrated includes a short 14 splined on the axle ID. The carrier 14 is 35 axle Ill, ordinarily carried by a truss-like arshifted to the left, in Figure l, to apply the brake, rangement of three legs connecting it to the fuseagainst the resistance of a return spring 16 lage (not shown), on which is rotatably mounted sleeved on the axle and confined between the cara wheel consisting almost entirely of a hub l2 her and the flanged end of carrier 4G. -When the on which isdirectly mounted an encircling pneucarrier is so shifted, a roller or the like I8 on 40 matic tire I4 seated against a flange It on the shoe 66 rides up on a-hardened steel wedge 80 hub. The tire is held by a ring l8 with a cofastened to the axle, to expand the shoes against operating flange 20, the ring telescoping over the the resistance of return springs 82 acting on the hub and being secured thereto by means such as shoes and urging them inwardly away from the 5 screws 22. The tire is keyed to the hub by ardrum. 4 ranging its valve stem 24, of the laterally-extend- The carrier It is shifted by means such as a ing type, in a groove 25 formed in the hub. The .thrust lever 84 pivoted crosswise of the axle in valve stem extends through ring l8 and has a a transverse slot and engaging a roller or the nut 28 engaging the ring, so that it also holds like 86 on the carrier. The lever is operated by t the ring from turning.- a roller 88 on a slide 90 in the bore of the hol- 50 The inner end of hub I 2 is formed with a low axle and operated by a cable or other tenseat for an anti-friction roller bearing 3|) mountslon element 92 extending to the brake pedal or ed, with a felt grease-retaining washer 32, on its equivalent. The brake released position of the a carrier 34 threaded onto the axle It so that it slide 98 is determined by adjustable means shown can be replaced as a unit, this being especially in the axle, thus providing a readily-manipulated adjustment for the brake.

It will be noted that pulling on the cable 92 shifts the friction means axially, and at the same time expands it. Due to the arrangement of anchor pivot 12 at the end of the band-like friction device 66-458, the friction means wraps against the drum with a self-energizing action (the drum turns counter-clockwise in Figure 2 when the plane is moving forward). As" the wheels of an airplane landing gear practically never turn backward, the comparative ineffectiveness of the brake in reverse is not important.

While one illustrative embodiment has been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit the scope of the invention to that particular embodiment, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An axle having an expansible friction device mounted thereon, a tension operating element extending axially through said axle, and an operating part extending crosswise of said axle and connected to said element and arranged to expand the friction device.

2. An axle having a friction device shiftably mounted thereon, a tension operating element extendingaxially of said axle, and an operating lever extending crosswise through and pivoted on said axle and connected to said element and arranged to operate the friction device.

3. An axle having an axially-movable slide and provided with a brake-operating lever pivoted on said axle and operated by movement of said slide.

4. An axle having an axially-movable slide and provided with a pivoted brake-operating lever and operated by movement of said slide, and an adjustable stop engaged by said slide to determine the brake-released position of the lever.

5. An axle having an axially-movable slide and provided with a pivoted brake-operating lever and operated by movement of said slide, and a stop threaded in the end of the axle and engaged by said slide to determine the brake-released position of the lever.

6. An axially-movable carrier having pivoted thereon a pair of plvotally-connected externallyconical friction brake shoes.

'7. An axially-movable carrier having a pair of pivotally-connected externally-conical friction brake shoes, in combination with an encircling conical brake drum member. I

8. A brake mechanism comprising a hollow axle and a wheel hub closely encircling said axle, an expansible and contractible friction device in the space between said axle and said hub, means for transmitting braking torque from said device to the axle, and applying means including an axially-movable part within the hollow axle and a pivoted part extending through the axle and operated by the axially-movable part and arranged to expand said device against the inner surface of said hub.

9. A wheel and brake mechanism comprising a hollow axle and a small diameter wheel having a hub closely encircling and Journaled on said axle, an expansible and contractible friction device in the space between said axle and said hub, means for transmitting braking torque from said device to the axle, and applying means within the hollow axle and having a part pivoted on and extending through the axle and arranged to expand said device against the inner surface of said hub.

10. A brake mechanism comprising an axle and a wheel hub closely encircling said axle, an expansible and contractible friction device in the space between said axle and said hub, means for transmitting braking torque from said device to the axle, applying means extending transversely of the axle between the ends of the friction device and operable to expand said device against the inner surface of said hub, and a tension cable extending axially through said axle and connected to the part of said means inside the axle.

11. A wheel and brake mechanism comprising an axle and a small diameter wheel having a hub closely encircling and joumaled on said axle, an expansible and contractible friction device in the space between said axle and said hub,

means for transmitting braking torque from said device to the axle, applying means extending transversely of the axle between the ends of the friction device and operable to expand said device against the inner surface of said hub, and a tension cable extending axially through said axle and connected to the part of said means inside the axle.

12. A wheel having about its axis a conical drum of considerable width approximating the width of the wheel and of a very steep angle approaching that of a cylinder, and friction means having a conical friction surface of a corresponding angle and which is movable axially and simultaneously expansible into engagement with said drum.

13. An axle having a brake drum journalled thereon, articulated friction means having spreadable ends, one of which ends is non-rotatably mounted on the axle and axially movable thereon, means for moving said friction means axially and means for moving the other end of the friction means into engagement with said drum simultaneously with said axial movement.

RAYMOND H. BEYER. 

